There was snow, snow and only snow all around. The cable car (popularly known as the Gondola) had just dropped us at the Apharwat Peak of the Pir Panjal Range. Standing at an altitude of 13,500 ft (4,115 meter), it was a sight to behold. The date was 29th of May 2023, and we didn’t expect this much of snow at this time of the year. And that was the highlight of our trip to Gulmarg.
Gulmarg, literally meaning the Meadow of Flowers in Kashmiri (Gul =Flower, Marg = Valley or Meadow) is located around 50 KM from Srinagar, in the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Gulmarg is a paradise for winter sports enthusiasts, when the entire place is covered with a thick blanket of snow and the tourists can indulge in a variety of activities like skiing, sledging and snowboarding. But it is equally popular in the other months of the year, when Gulmarg welcomes the visitors with its vast green meadows, variety of flowers and snow capped mountain peaks.
I have written a separate blog on how to plan for a trip to the Kashmir Valley. It has the details of the important places to visit, how to reach, best time to visit, local Kashmiri food, hotels & restaurants, restriction on using Mobile SIM cards and many other topics. That article will guide you to plan a visit to the majestic valley on your own, and you will find it here: Kashmir Travel Guide.
Our itinerary:
We visited Gulmarg on the Day 3 and Day 4 of our 8 nights / 9 days of Kashmir trip during the summer of 2023, where our itinerary was:
- Day 1: Catch early morning flight from Kolkata and reach Srinagar via Delhi. In the evening, Shikara ride in the Dal Lake to visit Open Lake, Lotus Lake, Meena Bazar Floating Market, followed by shopping at Lal Chowk. Overnight at Srinagar.
- Day 2 – Day trip to Sonmarg. Horse ride to Thajiwas Glacier. Due to lack of time, we couldn’t visit Kheer Bhavani temple on the way back to Srinagar. Overnight at Srinagar.
- Day 3 – Check-out from Srinagar hotel and visit Doodhpathri. Then travel to Gulmarg. Walk around Gulmarg town. Overnight at Gulmarg.
- Day 4 – Gandola ride (Phase 1 and Phase 2) in Gulmarg. Return to Srinagar by evening. Overnight at Srinagar.
- Day 5 – Srinagar Local sightseeing – Shankaracharya Temple, Four Mughal Gardens (Chashma Shahi, Pari Mahal, Nishat Bagh, Shalimar Bagh), Hazrat Bal Dargah, Jamia Masjid, Shikara ride in Dal Lake to visit the Char Chinar Island. Overnight at Srinagar.
- Day 6 – Check-out from Srinagar hotel and visit Yusmarg and Charar-e-Sharif. Then travel to Pahalgam. Overnight at Pahalgam.
- Day 7 – Local sightseeing in Pahalgam – Aru Valley, Betaab Valley, Chandanwari. We didn’t go to Baisaran Valley as we felt that the horse ride is risky. Overnight at Pahalgam.
- Day 8 – Visit Pahalgam Golf Course. Then travel from Pahalgam to Srinagar. On the way, visit: Apple Orchard, Martand Sun Temple, Awantipora ruins, Cricket bat factory and Kesar shops of Pampore. Overnight at Srinagar.
- Day 9 – Check-out from Srinagar hotel and return to Kolkata.
Reaching Gulmarg via Tangmarg:
Most travellers make separate day trips to Gulmarg and Doodhpathri from Srinagar. But to make better use of time, we planned to club both the spots together – from Srinagar we first travelled to Doodhpathri and then to Gulmarg on the same day; and spent the night in Gulmarg.
After our lunch in Doodhpathri, we started around 2 PM. In around 2 hours, we reached Tangmarg. After Tangmarg, the journey becomes uphill and the scenery on both sides of the road changes drastically from mustard fields to a dense vegetation of pine and conifers.
Tangmarg is famous for Drung Waterfall, which get frozen during winters. There are shops here, which rent out winter jackets and boots. Many drivers also insist on hiring guides from Tangmarg, but I feel that guides don’t have much role to play apart from clicking your pictures and managing the queue of Gondola. Also, Tangmarg is the place where your car will drop you during the peak winter months, and you will have to rent a separate vehicle (that have chains around its tyres) to reach Gulmarg.
We reached Gulmarg market around 4.30 PM. Normally no tourist vehicle is allowed after this point. But as we had our booking at the Alambal Tourist Bungalow (run by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation), we went further ahead. The Bungalow is located on the road towards the Gulmarg Gondola. In front of the property is a sprawling green golf course. The season being summer, it was empty. During winter months, tourists enjoy skiing here.
The evening in Gulmarg:
After quickly freshening up, we went out to explore Gulmarg by foot. It was 5 PM, and we still had 2 hours before it starts getting dark. The market area is around 800 metres from Alambal. It is a vibrant place, full of shops and restaurants and teeming with crowd.
The most prominent landmark here is a red coloured temple perched on top of a small hillock. It is known as the Maharani Temple, and was built by a Hindu ruler Hari Singh for his wife Maharani Mohini Bai Sisodia. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
A short walk and a climb of around 80 steps took us to the Maharani Temple. The temple compound caters to astounding views of the green golf course, surrounded by the towering pine & cedar trees and snow capped peaks.
After spending some time at the temple, we came down and roamed around in the marketplace. We stopped at a tea shop and sipped into cups of hot tea and enjoyed the surrounding vista, against the backdrop of the snowy mountains.
When it started getting dark, we got up. On the way to the bungalow, we took a brief halt at the “I Love Gulmarg” signage for a couple of family photos.
The evening was mostly uneventful. We cosied under the blankets, as the temperature plummeted all of a sudden to single digit. The room heater and the electric blanket served us well.
We didn’t want to go out for dinner, and pre-ordered at the in-house restaurant. It was ready by 8.30 PM. For a change, we didn’t order for Kashmiri dishes, but instead had chicken curry, mixed vegetables and chapati.
About the Gondola ride:
The main attraction of Gulmarg is the Gondola or the Cable car ride. There are 2 phases of the ride:
- The First phase is from the Gulmarg base station to Kongdori or Kungdoor (Altitude – 8,530 feet or 2,600 meter). The cost is Rs. 740 for a two-way ticket.
- The Second phase is from Kongdori or Kungdoor to the top of Apharwat peak (Altitude – 13,500 feet or 4,115 meter). This ride is one of the highest in the world. Due to the height, this journey to the Apharwat is not recommended for persons with cardiac ailments. The cost is Rs. 950 for a two-way ticket.
During the winter months (and the next one month), you will find snow in both these phases. But during the rest of the months, the First phase doesn’t have any snow; and in the Second Phase you have a better chance of getting snow. Also, the number of tickets issued for the Second phase is much less than that of the First phase.
The tickets are in high demand and they are only available online. So we had purchased the tickets as soon as the booking window opened.
Normally, the queue of visitors piles up over the day. So, in order to avoid the crowd, we had made the booking in the first slot (starting at 9 AM).
Gondola ride from Gulmarg to Kongdori/ Kungdoor:
The cable car station was a short walk from Alambal Bungalow. We reached there around 8.40 AM, and there were already more than 200 visitors before us. We had to wait in the queue for a long time, as the cars couldn’t start operating due to technical glitches.
Minutes that passed by seemed like hours. Ultimately our tickets were scanned, and we sat on the car that took us to Kongdori.
The time being summer, there was no snow in Kongdori. But we could see the snow covered mountains at a distance. Some pony owners approached us and enquired whether we have the ticket to the Second phase. Otherwise, they were offering us a pony ride along the mountain slopes till we get snow.
We could see the next set of cable cars making round trips to the Apharwat peak far above. But we wanted to acclimatize ourselves to the height. So, instead of taking the second car immediately, we roamed around and soaked ourselves in the alluring panorama. Also, to gain energy and to prepare ourselves for the next ride, we bit into bars of chocolate and sipped a cup of hot chocolate. If you want to have a proper meal, there are cafeteria both at Kongdori and Apharwat.
Gondola ride from Kongdori/ Kungdoor to Apharwat:
The Gondola’s ascent to Apharwat peak was much steeper than that to Kongdori and we were feeling a little scared. But all those fear vanished in a moment once we got down at Apharwat.
We quickly came out of the cable car station. Outside, the entire surrounding was stunning – a thick blanket of snow covered the entire place. Above, the azure blue sky, with milky white clouds, made the whole environment even more enticing and left us transfixed to the spot.
The kids were super happy, this being their first encounter with snow (we got snow in Sonmarg also, but that was not fresh). We found tourists enjoying skiing and sledging. It seems that the Line of Control with Pakistan is at a short distance away, and is reachable by skiing.
We started making balls of snow and throwing them up in the air. The kids first had a snowball fight and then built a miniature snowman.
We hired 4 pairs of gumboots for Rs. 500 and started walking along the slopes of the mountain. It was not easy, and we slipped and fell down a couple of times. Then we found a large rock, and sat on top of it. We spent around one and half hours at Apharwat, and started our return journey to Kungdoor and Gulmarg.
It was surely an experience of lifetime, and we will remember it in years to come.
Goodbye Gulmarg:
We had checked out of Alambal Bungalow in the morning, and kept our luggage in the reception. We came back to the bungalow around 1 PM, freshened up and had lunch.
There are a few more local attractions in and around Gulmarg, which we had planned to visit. But, we were feeling a bit uneasy, may be (?) due to the travel to the Apharwat peak. So, we aborted our further travel plan around Gulmarg and decided to start for Srinagar.
Here are a few places in and around Gulmarg, which you can visit by hiring a local car or a pony/ horse:
- Maharaja Hari Singh Palace
- Strawberry Valley/ Garden
- St. Mary’s Church
- Khilan Marg
- Botapathri – this place is around 12 KM away from Gulmarg. You need to take extra permission from the military personnel and travel only by car.
On the way, we stopped at Dobiwan. There are a lot of shops on the side of the highway, which sell Kashmiri dress material, shawls, stoles, carpets and other gift items and souvenirs.
We had read good reviews about the Snow World Emporium, and entered that shop. We found price was reasonable and there were a lot of options to choose from.
Some useful information and tips:
How to reach Gulmarg:
Gulmarg is located at a distance of around 50 KM from Srinagar, in the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir. The most convenient way to reach Gulmarg from Srinagar is by hiring a car, and it takes around 1.5 hours to reach. If you are planning to stay for a night in Gulmarg, you can visit Doodhpathri while going to Gulmarg from Srinagar or while returning back.
What is the best time to visit Gulmarg:
Kashmir is a place which you can visit in all seasons. The summer caters you to a green Kashmir with lots of foliage. Winters welcome you with a blanket of snow. From mid-March to mid-April, the added attraction is the Tulip festival. If you are visiting in October-November, you will be fascinated by the changing colour of the leaves of Chinar tree.
Unlike many other parts of the Kashmir valley, Gulmarg is accessible to tourists throughout the year, even during the peak winter months. In fact, Gulmarg is very popular as a winner destination, when tourists indulge in various winter activities and the hotel charges and other rates touch the sky. During summer, Gulmarg is equally attractive due to its green meadows and blooming flowers.
Where to stay in Gulmarg:
If you compare with Srinagar and Pahalgam, the number of hotels in Gulmarg is much less and also they are more costly. The cost multiplies few times during the winter months, when there is an influx of tourists who indulge in the winter sports.
The Alambal Tourist Bungalow and the Cottages run by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) are very good options to stay in Gulmarg. But they are always in high demand, and it is advisable to book them in advance.
Review of Alambal Tourist Bungalow:
The Alambal Tourist Bungalow is run by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC). Apart from the double-bed rooms, it houses the central reception area for the adjacent cottages and an in-house restaurant.
The room that was allotted to us was large, with a ‘truly’ king-size bed, where 4 of us (2 Adults and 2 children) slept comfortably. The room had 2 heaters and the bed had an electric mattress, which helped us to stay warm when the temperature dropped to single digit in the evening. The bathroom was also big and was clean. And all of this for a decent rent of Rs. 3000 (plus GST) per night (date of stay – May 29, 2023).
The restaurant serves tasty food, although we felt that the price was on a higher side. And the breakfast was not complementary. You can book the rooms directly from the website of JKTDC – https://www.jktdc.co.in/.
Details of Car Rental:
We rented a Sedan car from a Srinagar based rental agency – Kashmir Car Rental (+91-88250-62819). As per our itinerary, the rental charges were Rs. 19,800 (Airport pickup on Day 1 to Airport drop on Day 9). That comes to Rs. 2200 per day. Zahoor Bhat (+91 70064 05231) was our driver for the entire trip. A perfect gentleman and guide, our Kashmir trip wouldn’t have been that smooth without Zahoor bhai. He owns the Toyota Etios car, in which he drove us around.
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